CONTINUOUSWAVE

I just bought my first [Boston Whaler boat], a restored 1977 Montauk. I am going to add the rear bench seat, cushions[,] and a couple of other miscellaneous things. The previous owner had the fuel tank mounted [farther] aft so that he could [more easily] fit PFD's under the [reversible pilot seat--see image below--jimh] . Well, I hate it because the fuel tank eats up all of the deck space.

There doesn't appear to be an access under the [reversible pilot seat--see image below--jimh] to run the fuel hose in the tunnel in the hull. I plan to move the tank under the leaning post, but I do not want an exposed fuel hose on the deck.

Can I cut a hole under the [reversible pilot seat--see image below--jimh] to run the fuel line?

Will the hole go directly into the pipe that in the floor? Or, will I run the risk of drilling through foam and causing it to get water logged over the years?

I moved the tank and the floor is solid. No access whatsoever.

The boat pictured has a Reversible Pilot Seat or RPS. This is a classic feature of a Boston Whaler MONTAUK. It is not a "leaning post."

You should read an article in REFERENCE about ON-DECK FUEL TANKS. See

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... lTank.html

This will give you some ideas. The article links to dozens of follow-on articles on fuel tank choice and location on a MONTAUK with an RPS. Really, go read that article and read the many others linked from it. You will get all sorts of good ideas from those resources. Trust me on this.

I agree with your assessment: the present location of the large on-deck fuel tank is poor. It consumes a lot of valuable deck space. There is probably no other Boston Whaler MONTAUK boat in the world rigged like this, and that is for good reasons. The on-deck fuel tank should be under the Reversible Pilot Seat (or RPS). If you want to have a personal floatation device (PFD) be really handy, then wear one. That is the most handy place to have a PFD--already being worn.

Yes slide it under the RPS and yes there is a rigging tunnel for the fuel line under there.

Good luck

I can't say with any authority why your MONTAUK does not have an access hole already provided for running the fuel hose from the fuel tank under the reversible pilot seat (RPS) to the engine. Perhaps the boat was originally ordered without the RPS, and that might perhaps mean the access hole was not cut into the deck in the original fabrication of the boat. I think you could order the boat with twin pilot seats--they might even have been the standard seating and the RPS an option. Usually with an RPS there will be an access hole already provided.

If your boat has no access hole, you are actually at something of an advantage: you can locate the hole where you like. See the WOOD LOCATING DIAGRAM for the MONTAUK to get the location of the tunnel. The tunnel is shown in the vertical plane view from transom looking forward. The tunnel is not shown as being immediately below the deck. You will want to hit the tunnel dead-center so inspect your boat and measure carefully. You can see both ends of the tunnel; one in the aft cockpit sump and the other in the console.

You will first drill through plywood, then foam, then the PVC pipe of the tunnel. If you like, apply a coat of WEST System epoxy to the exposed foam surfaces to seal them against intrusion of water.

You will have to provide some sort of bushing at the deck for the hole. The bushing will prevent chafing of the fuel hose and also work to keep water from running into the rigging tunnel. A suitable bushing could be a small through hull plastic fitting. You can probably seal it in place with some caulk.

You can find the drawings in the REFERENCE section article on the 17-foot hull:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/16-17/

The drawing that is likely to be most applicable is

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... 0x743.jpeg

When you relocate the on-deck fuel tank, you should also move the primer bulb. Right now it is in a bad location and it has the worst possible orientation. For advice on where the primer bulb should be located and how it should be oriented, see the REFERENCE article on that topic:

A Primer on Primers
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/primer.html

I would re-locate the primer bulb to be close to the engine, oriented vertically, and be certain to observe the direction arrow; it points up and toward the engine. Also check the primer bulb. The best ones are the OEM type. The aftermarket replacement primer bulbs tend to be lousy.

Also, check the fuel hose from tank to engine. I don't recall seeing many blue fuel hoses certified for marine use with alcohol-gasoline blended fuel. It might be some specialty hose from automotive use. Generally a very high-quality rubber jacket fuel hose works best. It should be clearly marked with USCG ratings that specify it is tolerant of alcohol-gasoline fuels. Recent EPA regulations might also apply regarding permeability ratings for the fuel hose.

Thank you so much, Jim. Some great info there.